Did Max Verstappen call Lewis Hamilton slow? Red Bull driver makes bold Mercedes claim

The Red Bull vs Mercedes rivalry has been growing in intensity this season since the Milton Keyes outfit finally seems to have stepped up to the level of the Brackley outfit. With the bosses of both teams recently engaging in a war of words, it seems that that rivalry has also trickled down between their team's star drivers. After Lewis Hamilton claimed that Red Bull had the faster car, Max Verstappen lashed back at the Mercedes driver and reportedly called him slow. Here is a look at the Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton rivalry this season and what has been said over the past few weeks.

F1 standings 2021 update: Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton rivalry

Over the past few seasons, Mercedes have been the utterly dominant team with Red Bull capitalising upon their opportunities whenever Mercedes faltered. However, this season it seems that Red Bull has produced a package that is capable of fighting the might of Mercedes. With Red Bull having stepped up it has given their star driver Max Verstappen a fantastic opportunity to take the fight to the seven-time Drivers' Championship Lewis Hamilton.

In the six races that have taken place so far, Lewis Hamilton has won three (Bahrain, Portuguese, Spanish) while Max Verstappen has won two (Emilia Romagna, Monaco). Meanwhile, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was won by Verstappen's teammate, Sergio Perez. As things stand, Verstappen (105) leads the F1 standings 2021 by four points from Hamilton (101) with Perez jumping up to third with 69 points. Meanwhile, Red Bull (174) extend their lead in the F1 standings 2021 by 26 points from Mercedes (148).

Red Bull vs Mercedes: Max Verstappen makes bold claim by calling Lewis Hamilton "slow"

Lewis Hamilton said that the gap in the F1 standings 2021 between Max Verstappen and himself could be explained by the fact that Red Bull had the better car this season. However, Verstappen does not agree. The Dutchman responded by speaking to Motorsport, "I would say that if I were him. I think if I'm in his car I'm driving two tenths faster than him. I don't care what he says." The Red Bull vs Mercedes rivalry seems at its peak as it is not only both drivers who seem to have engaged in a war of words but also the bosses of both teams. Over the past few weeks, Red Bull have often been on the receiving end with Mercedes accusing them of having an unfair advantage because of their flexi wing.

Speaking of this issue after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said, "I think if I was Toto with the front wing he's got on his car, I'd keep my mouth shut." In response, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said, "Christian is a bit of a windbag who wants to be on camera. It's about being punchy. It's easy to be punchy when you are on top of the timesheet, but you should be a little bit more modest I think." Considering the war of words between the two teams, it seems fans are going to witness an exciting Red Bull vs Mercedes battle this season with their star drivers Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton fighting it out for wins week in and week out.